"Black Prisoner of War" chronicles the story of James Daly, a young
black soldier held captive for more than five years by the Viet
Cong and North Vietnamese and subsequently accused (and acquitted)
of collaboration with the enemy. One of the very few books about
the Vietnam War by an African American, Daly's memoir is both a
testament to survival and a provocative meditation on the struggle
between patriotism and religious conviction.
First published in 1975 as "A Hero's Welcome," Daly's memoir had
only a brief exposure before it sank from sight. At the time, most
Americans simply wanted to forget about the war. But, as Jeff Loeb
argues, Daly's story is a compelling one that merits a much wider
readership.
Raised in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant area, Daly fought to
overcome difficult circumstances through hard work and religion.
When the Vietnam War intervened, he was denied conscientious
objector status, despite his strong pacifist beliefs. He then
enlisted in the U.S. Army, but only after a black recruiter assured
him he would receive a non-combat assignment. Instead, he was sent
to fight in Vietnam, where he was denied repeated requests for
reassignment. In protest, he refused to load or fire his weapon,
even when sent out on patrol.
When his unit was ambushed by the Viet Cong, he began his long
ordeal in captivity, first in the jungles of South Vietnam and then
in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton."
As a POW, he was still an outcast: a black "grunt" and pacifist
among mostly white air force officers who considered any sort of
accommodation treasonable. Such charges were eventually leveled at
Daly for joining the so-called Peace Committee and signing a letter
condemning American actions in the war. Although Daly's decisions
were in keeping with his pacifism and he was later cleared of the
charges, he remains a controversial figure for many Vietnam
veterans.
Exploring the limits of both accommodation and resistance,
Daly's memoir forces us to reassess the POW experience and race
relations in Vietnam, as well as the complex relationship between
personal belief and public duty.
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